At a glance

Your chance to

At a glance

8 nights in pensions and 2-3 star hotels with en suite facilities, all chosen for their convenient location

6 days walking with vehicle support

1 free day in Santiago de Compostela

Low altitude throughout

Walk the pilgramage of St James

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela one of the world's oldest pilgrimage routes; travellers have made their way across northern Spain to Santiago on what is also known as 'The Way of St James' for over 1000 years. The way is marked by the symbol of the scallop shell, typically found on the Galician shores, and a great tradition of the route is to obtain the ‘compostela’, a certificate of accomplishment given to pilgrims upon completing the way, gained by walking at least 100km of the route, which we will do on this trip.

Walk profile

Daily distance in km/miles:

Day 2

14.0km/8.7miles

Day 3

23.0km/14.3miles

Day 4

25.0km/15.5miles

Day 5

29.0km/18.0miles

Day 6

19.0km/11.8miles

Day 7

20.0km/12.4miles

Number of days walking: 6

Pace: Moderate: 5-6km/3-4miles an hour

Terrain: Low altitude; good paths with some steep ascents

Itinerary

Our week starts in one of the most unspoilt sections of the Camino, as we walk through the Galician countryside, populated by a number of traditional agricultural villages. After walking alongside the river Oribio, we reach the quaint village of Samos, home to one of the oldest monasteries in Spain, and continue through ancient oak forests to the town of Sarria.
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3Day 3Walk through the rolling hills of the Galician countryside to Portomarin.

We continue walking up and down the hills of Galicia to the town of Portomarin, which was rebuilt on a hilltop from its original location in the River Minos valley to escape flooding when a reservoir was constructed in 1962. The old church was moved, stone by stone, to the new location.

4Day 4Uphill to the village of Ventas de Naron and on to Palas de Rei.

We start with a steady uphill to the village of Ventas de Naron, where the terrain becomes gentler. Along the way to Palais de Rei there are plenty of cafes where we can enjoy a break. Palas de Rei marks the half-way point of our trek and we spend the night in a pension, where we can really feel the spirit of the Camino as many walkers stop here.
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5Day 5Walk to the town of Melide and on to Arza, both famous for their cuisine.

We begin our longest day's walking along a very picturesque stretch of the Camino, as we cross several Roman bridges and walk past Mediaeval castles and Romanic churches. For lunch we stop in the small town of Melide, renowned for its octopus with potatoes and end our day in Arzua, famous for its cheeses.
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6Day 6Meet many more pilgrims on final section to Pedruozo.

Today's walk to the village of Pedruozo involves a number of short ascents and descents through woods, fruit fields and eucalyptus. As Santiago draws ever closer, more pilgrims will cross our path, adding to the anticipation of reaching our goal, the Cathedral of Santiago.
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7Day 7Walk to Santiago de Compostela.

Our final day's walking sees us climbing up to the famous Monte do Gozo , where pilgrims traditionally took in their first views of the towers of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. As part of the centuries-old tradition, we make our way through the city's streets and crowds to Plaza del Obradoiro, dominated by the impressive Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where most Fridays we can observe a mass service with the impressive 'Botafumeiro' incense swinging.

Free day to explore the historic city of Santiago at your own pace. There are plenty of things to do: you can visit the spectacular Cathedral, stroll around the narrow streets of the World Heritage-listed Old Town with its diverse architecture; alternatively, you can visit the museum of Galician Life, home to interesting exhibits on Galician traditions and arts. If you wish, you could also join a day excursion to Cape Finisterre.See more images and videos

Your images

Guided Group

This is a small group guided holiday. The group is usually between 4 and 16 in size, with an average of 12 like-minded clients booking individually, in a couple or as friends together.

Activity level

You are moderately fit and possess a spirit of adventure. Some previous experience is required for most activity based trips.

What's included

What's included

All breakfasts

All accommodation (see below)

All transport and listed activities

Tour leader throughout

Flights from London (if booking incl. flights)

What's not included

Travel insurance

Single accommodation (available on request)

Visas or vaccinations

Accommodation details

Hotels & Pensions

You will spend 8 nights in 2 and 3 star standard hotels and pensions. All rooms feature en suite facilities.
A limited number of single rooms are available for a supplement from GBP170 (approx. US$300).

Essential info

Vaccinations and Visa
No visa required for British passport holders.
There are no specific health risks. Holiday style

The trip consists of 5 daywalks and 1 free day. Your luggage is transferred between hotels, so you only need to take a daypack with you on the walks. The terrain and type of path track will vary from man made paved tracks, tarmac, forest trails to gravel. The walks are not technically difficult although some steep ascents and descents should be expected, so a reasonable amount of fitness is required.
Low altitude throughout.

Eating & drinking

All breakfasts are included and usually consist of coffee and toast. However, there are plenty of opportunities to stop for a coffee or a snack along the way. Mealtimes in Spain are later than in many other countries; dinner is usually taken between 21:00 and 21.30.
Please be aware that meat and fish are diet staples in Northern Spain and vegetarians should be prepared to be flexible.

Gallery

Reviews & community

What a lovely walking holiday! I enjoyed the beautiful gentle scenery, abundance of wild flowers, the history, the food, wine, meeting people from other countries, the peace of the countryside, the little places we passed through. We were lucky with the weather. Hot but manageable with well planned breaks in little cafes and restaurants so we didn't have to carry too much. Accommodation was better than I thought it would be. Mainly modern even if simple hotels. We were well looked after by our friendly and conscientious guide Jose who had to deal with a group with mixed walking experience and ability. As we neared S de C ,the trek got busier but not as much as I thought it would and it wasn't at all commercialised.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Being struck by the fact that we were treading in the footsteps of pilgrims through the ages. That these were ancient routes.

What did you think of your group leader?

Jose Manuel was determined that we would ALL finish the trek and enter Santiago together and enjoy the whole experience because it WAS meant to be a holiday. He was very conscientious, friendly and diplomatically dealt with our various problems such as blisters, pace and stamina. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the region. Organised our snack, lunch and evening breaks. Kept checking that we were coping with the distances walked.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Make sure that you spent time getting used to regular long walks before you go. You will spent a lot of time on your feet in between breaks and the pace is reasonably fast. Take a couple of pairs of light walking boots ,walking shoes or good trainers to change into so that you don't wear the same footwear everyday. Tackle any discomfort STRAIGHT AWAY. One of our group lost a small toenail by the 2nd day and had 12 blisters by the 3rd! Changing socks at lunch-time was also a good idea.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

It may be the low-level end of The Camino but I it was still an achievement to walk the last 125 km. I think most of felt quite emotional when we arrived in front of the Cathedral and realised that we had reached our destination and would soon be saying goodbye to one another. I would recommend it as a lovely trek to do with a group of friends.

I have always heard people talking about the Camino de Santiago as something very special and spiritual. After doing it myself I can only confirm that everything they say about it is absolutely true. It was very nice to walk and chat with the group and get to know other walkers along the way. Such a great experience!!
Buen Camino!

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Reaching Santiago de Compostela was the highlight of the week for me and sharing the moment with the rest of the group was amazing!

What did you think of your group leader?

José was a great trip companion and leader. He was fun and professional at the same time,and always ready to help us throughout the Camino.

Questions about your trip

Pick your question

Do we get issued with the Pilgrim's Passport?

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela across northern Spain is one of the world's oldest pilgrimage routes. For more than 1000 years pilgrims have made their way to Santiago and in 1987 it was declared the first European Culture Route. Also known as 'The Way of St James', it originated in the region of Galicia where the tomb of the Apostle James the Great was discovered in the 9th Century.

The way is marked by the symbol of the scallop shell, typically found on the Galician shores, and the grooves in the shell that join together are said to represent the many different ways pilgrims travelled from to reach the tomb of Saint James. A great tradition of the route is to obtain the 'compostela', a certificate of accomplishment given to pilgrims uponcompleting the way and to earn this you need to walk at least 100km of the route. On arrival we will be issued with our Pilgrim's Passport, which will need to be stamped daily at either a Refugio, church or town hall, to receive the 'compostela' in Santiago.

Charlotte Taylor - Product Manager

What is the accommodation like on the Pilgrim's route?

In the smaller villages we will stay in characterful family-run casas rurales and in larger towns we will be accommodated in larger hotels. All hotels will have en suite facilities. However, please note that the casa rural used on Day 3 has a limited number of rooms, so late bookers might be asked to share the bathroom.

Bethany Lees - Spain Operations

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